The conference’s free-to-enter Indie Showcase celebrates the very best of indie game development with an exhibition featuring the ten best entries as chosen by a panel of experts, chaired by Assyria Games’ Adam Green.

All 10 finalists receive two free Indie Dev Day conference passes, up to five Expo passes, pre-event publicity and a profile on the event website, plus the opportunity to show off their games to around 1,800 developers and publishers at the event.

Over the past five years, more than 500 indie developers have submitted their games to the judging panel. Alumni winners includes the critically acclaimed Gunpoint; That Dragon, Cancer; Darklings which has made it into the top-100 grossing games chart on iOS; and last year’s winner, Hue by Fiddlesticks which scooped both the People’s Choice and Overall Showcase award.

“Each year, the quality of submission to the Develop:Brighton Indie Showcase seems to get higher and higher and it’s fantastic to see our growing list of shortlisted alumni going on to both critical and commercial success,” commented Andy Lane, managing director of conference organisers Tandem Events.

“The showcase is now in its sixth year and continues to be a fantastic opportunity for indie developers to get their games in front of publishers, the gaming press and their fellow peers,” added Adam Green, managing director of Assyria Games and chair of the judging panel.

“The diversity and detail of games submitted to the competition is something to be admired and highlights the good health the UK indie game scene is currently in. I can’t wait to see what this year’s selection has to offer.”

Dan Da Rocha, director of 2015 Overall Indie Showcase winner, Hue, added, “Being involved in Develop:Brighton’s Indie Showcase is great for feedback and exposure for your game. Some of the industry’s top developers and journalists attend the event, so being able to get your game in front of them for free is brilliant. On top of this you can win an award or two, which gives you credibility as a developer and further exposure for your team and game.”

Submissions for the Develop Indie Showcase are now open and it’s completely free to apply. Applicants wishing to enter must comply with the following rules:

– Studios with no more than 15 people – Studios – and games – that are non-publisher funded – Games which are not published by a third party at the time of submission – Games that have a development budget of less than £1million – Games that are created in the “indie spirit” – Full information and application forms can be found on the website www.developconference.com

The deadline to enter is 19 May and the overall Indie Showcase and People’s Choice winners will be announced to press and delegates at the Develop:Brighton Conference on Thursday 14 July 2016.

About Develop: Brighton Conference 2016

The Develop: Brighton conference is where the European developer community comes together to learn from each other and share experiences, be inspired by world renowned experts and gurus, get up-to-date with the latest development tools and techniques, make new contacts and catch up with old ones.

With a programme that is shaped by some of the industry’s key figures, the conference touches all levels of the development community from the largest studios to the smallest indies; from development directors to programmers.

The three-day event is organised into specific areas of interest:

Tuesday 12 July is focusing on two tracks: Evolve and Funding

Wednesday 13 July is the opening day of the main Develop: Brighton conference tackling the issues, tools, tricks and techniques of game development and offering practical advice and solutions to take back to the studio.

Thursday 14 July the Develop: Brighton conference continues, with the addition of the Audio Track a day of sessions dedicated to game audio and music. Plus, the IndieDev: Day returns for the fifth year aimed specifically at independent developers with sessions, the chance to mix with other indies and a showcase featuring some of the best new indie projects currently in development.